Water conservation in irrigation can increase water use
TLDR
The results show that water conservation subsidies are unlikely to reduce water use under conditions that occur in many river basins, and adoption of more efficient irrigation technologies reduces valuable return flows and limits aquifer recharge.Abstract:
Climate change, water supply limits, and continued population growth have intensified the search for measures to conserve water in irrigated agriculture, the world's largest water user. Policy measures that encourage adoption of water-conserving irrigation technologies are widely believed to make more water available for cities and the environment. However, little integrated analysis has been conducted to test this hypothesis. This article presents results of an integrated basin-scale analysis linking biophysical, hydrologic, agronomic, economic, policy, and institutional dimensions of the Upper Rio Grande Basin of North America. It analyzes a series of water conservation policies for their effect on water used in irrigation and on water conserved. In contrast to widely-held beliefs, our results show that water conservation subsidies are unlikely to reduce water use under conditions that occur in many river basins. Adoption of more efficient irrigation technologies reduces valuable return flows and limits aquifer recharge. Policies aimed at reducing water applications can actually increase water depletions. Achieving real water savings requires designing institutional, technical, and accounting measures that accurately track and economically reward reduced water depletions. Conservation programs that target reduced water diversions or applications provide no guarantee of saving water.read more
Citations
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Groundwater depletion and sustainability of irrigation in the US High Plains and Central Valley
Bridget R. Scanlon,Claudia C. Faunt,Laurent Longuevergne,Robert C. Reedy,William M. Alley,Virginia L. McGuire,Peter B. McMahon +6 more
TL;DR: Increasing water storage through artificial recharge of excess surface water in aquifers by up to 3 km3 shows promise for coping with droughts and improving sustainability of groundwater resources in the Central Valley.
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Robert I. McDonald,Katherine F. Weber,J. Padowski,Martina Flörke,Christof Schneider,Pamela A. Green,Tom Gleeson,Stephanie Eckman,Bernhard Lehner,Deborah Balk,Timothy M. Boucher,Günther Grill,Mark R. Montgomery +12 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted the first global survey of the large cities' water sources, and showed that previous global hydrologic models that ignored urban water infrastructure significantly overestimated urban water stress.
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The paradox of irrigation efficiency.
R. Q. Grafton,R. Q. Grafton,John F. Williams,Chris Perry,François Molle,Claudia Ringler,Pasquale Steduto,Bradley Udall,Sarah Ann Wheeler,Y. Wang,Dustin Garrick,Richard G. Allen +11 more
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Paolo D'Odorico,Kyle Frankel Davis,Lorenzo Rosa,Joel A. Carr,Davide Danilo Chiarelli,Jampel Dell'Angelo,Jessica A. Gephart,Graham K. MacDonald,David A. Seekell,Samir Suweis,Maria Cristina Rulli +10 more
TL;DR: This review explores multiple components of the food‐energy‐water nexus and highlights possible approaches that could be used to meet food and energy security with the limited renewable water resources of the planet.
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Water Sustainability for China and Beyond
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References
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Book ChapterDOI
Yield response to water
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